Extending your care

I've been getting ready to lead a group of people down to Mexico next week on a humanitarian relief project. Admittedly, I've been a little nervous about this whole experience because of having to leave my family for 10 days. I love my wife and kids...I'm going to miss them.

Today I recieved photos from the organization we are going with of the family that we will be serving by building them a home. Including in these photos were pictures of the place they are currently living in, and the bathroom that they are current using.

As soon as I opened them, I knew that I had to go no matter what the perceived emotional cost of not seeing my family for 10 days. As a Canadian, I am truly privileged to live where I do. I don't have a fancy home, and I don't live in a ritzy part of town. But what I call home looks like a palace compared to these photos.

Sometimes we fail to remember that our world isn't the world. What we see on a daily basis is not the current reality for many other people here on our planet. The above images tell us a vastly different story about what the real world is all about.

I think it's time we extend our care beyond what we can see firsthand. Can you imagine if an entire Canadian city would stand up for injustice in our world and take action against poverty? How about if one church or one youth group did the same?

The time for change is now...and change begins with extending your capacity to care.